Emma Lavelle: 'We were rolling in mud in the Cheltenham winner's enclosure'

What's your first racing memory?
My first memory is of Kempton on Boxing Day. There was no all-weather course, so you'd park in the middle and have a cold picnic of Christmas Day leftovers out of the boot of the car while watching racing.

Who was your biggest inspiration?
Outside racing, my parents, Richard and Anne, were my biggest inspiration. They gave me the tools to be able to train horses and gave me the belief I could do it. Inside racing, Toby Balding would be my biggest inspiration. He trained for my father and he was the first person I got to know within the sport. It's extraordinary how instrumental he was to so many people's lives.

Why was training right for you?
From the age of 11 I always wanted to train racehorses. I spent a week at Toby Balding's riding out and probably being a nuisance around the place, but I absolutely loved it and from that moment that was all I wanted to do. I love horses and really enjoy people, so it was always what I wanted. I'd been lucky enough to have a pony as a child, so I enjoyed riding, but the whole atmosphere of the training side and the way of life was just so exciting.